Chinese traditional clothing made its debut at the Venice Carnival amid deepening cultural exchange between the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou and its sister city Venice.

A volunteer wearing Hanfu, an ancient clothing traditionally used to be worn by ethnic-majority Han Chinese, participates in a parade launched at the Piazza San Marco during the Venice Carnival in Venice, Italy, Feb. 17, 2023. (Confucius Institute at Ca' Foscari University of Venice/Handout via Xinhua)

A total of 16 Chinese and Italian volunteers, wearing Hanfu, an ancient clothing traditionally worn by ethnic-majority Han Chinese, participated in a parade launched at the Piazza San Marco in the lagoon city center.

"This is the first time that Chinese traditional costumes have officially participated in the carnival," said Ma Xiaohui, director of the Chinese side of the Confucius Institute at Ca' Foscari University of Venice.

Suzhou, dubbed by the Italian explorer Marco Polo in the 13th century as "the Venice of the East", became a sister city to Venice in 1980, and since then multiple activities of mutual historical and cultural exchange have been carried forward.

People attend a water parade of the Venice Carnival in Venice, Italy, on Feb. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)

The Venice Carnival 2023, themed "Take Your Time for the Original Signs," kicked off in the Italian lagoon city on Feb. 4 and will last until Feb. 21.